Emerald Eyes
by RosalieThropp
Summary: There was something special about the little girl's eyes; those piercing green eyes that lit up in a smile as she looked at the variety of fish swimming around her. He had seen beautiful green eyes like that in only one person. Mercy.


**Disclaimer:** Don't own anything. Never have, never will.

**A/N:** Okay, my first attempt to a Tollie fic. Let's see how this goes :) English still not my first language, so the grammar/coherence mistakes are out there. Just let me know where, and I'll fix them.

Enjoy!

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><p>"This is nice, isn't it baby?" Chloe asked her four- year- old son as they looked at the colorful fish swimming in front of their eyes. The blond little boy poked the thick glass of the aquarium walls and nodded, smiling to his mother.<p>

"Come on, little guy. I think if we go ahead, we might see some sharks!" Oliver called his son, and the boy ran to his side, looking up at the ceiling of the acrylic glass tunnel in the hope of seeing a shark.

Chloe smiled on her boys. So far, they were having a great day at the aquarium. At first, she wasn't really excited about going along with Oliver on a business trip. But now, she was happy he persuaded her. Sydney was a lovely city, and despite the eventual meetings Oliver had to attend in the morning, they were having fun; the little one, especially. Seeing her son happy was the most fulfilling thing for Chloe.

"Chlo, are you coming?" Oliver asked, bringing her back from her thoughts "You don't wanna miss the sharks"

"I sure don't" she smiled at her husband, and the trio continued to walk down the tunnel, stopping eventually at the sight of a peculiar a fish. The little boy cheered as a zebra shark swam above them, making his parents laugh in delight.

Before they moved on to the next exhibit, they stopped at the café for an afternoon snack.

The couple watched their son enjoy his snack while coloring with some crayons that were in restaurant's the table. Leaning her head on Oliver's shoulder, Chloe smiled, contented.

Oliver kissed his wife's forehead before turning his attention back at his cell phone.

"How's the crime rate in Star City?" Chloe asked with a whisper, making Oliver chuckle.

"Not that bad, actually. The league is covering for me, so nothing to worry about" he smiled "we can enjoy our mini-vacation properly, right buddy?" The couple looked up at the boy, only to find him missing.

The desperate couple immediately got up and started screaming the boy's name, looking for him in the restaurant area, but failing to find him.

"You go find security, I'll look for him in the closest exhibit area" Oliver told his wife.

Chloe gave him a shaky nod.

"Well, find him, Chlo" he tried to reassure her "He can't be that far".

Nodding again, she left to find security while Oliver hurriedly went towards the tunnel they had been previously, but there was no sign of the boy there.

He then tried the gift shop, assuming it would be likely for a small boy to be drawn by the place, but again, he had no luck.

Keeping in mind the places that might draw his kid's attention, he found himself at the Great Barrier Reef exhibit, and a wave of relief took over him as he spotted his son looking at some clown fish.

When the little boy noticed his father's presence, he smiled and ran to him. Oliver caught him and held him tight.

"Don't you ever do that again, do you understand me?" Oliver tried to chastised him, but it came out more like a plead.

"Sorry daddy" the boy whispered "I only wanted to see the clown fish; I didn't mean to scare you"

"Next time, just ask me. Don't disappear on us like that. Your mother is really worried"

The little boy sighed "Is mommy mad at me?"

Oliver nodded "A little. But she'll be happy to see you".

Loosening his grip on the boy, Oliver noticed the little girl standing only a few steps away from them, looking at the clown fish just like his son had been moments ago. In the middle of his desperation, he failed to acknowledge the little girl's presence.

She was smiling, while tapping the glass, trying to make the little fish react to her company.

Blinking a few times, he tried to remember where he had seen that smile before.

"There's another one!" the girl exclaimed in a endearing Australian accent "Come see!" she said, and before Oliver realized, his son had escaped from his hold and was by the little girl's side again.

It was only then he perceived the girl's features. The fair skin, the little freckles, and, to his astonishment, the undeniable auburn hair. There was something special about the little girl's eyes; those piercing green eyes that lit up in a smile as she looked at the variety of fish swimming around her.

He had seen beautiful green eyes like that in only one person.

_Mercy__._

His heart ached at the memory of her. He couldn't save her. Clark couldn't save her. They had abandoned her when she needed them the most. It still hurt him to think that maybe, if they had been more concerned about her well being after that phone call, or if they had found her sooner, it wouldn't have happened.

Eight years later, it still hurt him to think about that. Dam, it hurt him to look at a red haired little girl. And that little girl in particular looked so much like her.

There was a time in his life; a time that now seemed light years away; when he picture his daughter exactly like that.

"_Do you ever think about children, Mercy?" he had asked her._

_Propping herself up on one elbow, she __smirked and gave him a questioning look "What?"_

_He shrugged "Just wondering, you know. Do you ever think of that?" _

"_Not as much as you do, apparently" she cocked an eyebrow and grinned._

_He smiled sheepishly "Sometimes, I picture a little girl. Just like you."_

"_Like me? Do you really think you can handle two of me?" she mused._

_He laughed "You bet I can. I picture her as a mini version of you. With freckles and everything. But with some of my personality"_

"_Oh yeah? Do I have a say in this child at all?" She questioned a hint of enjoyment in her voice._

_He took the opportunity to kiss her "You can help me make her" _

_She arched an eyebrow at him "That's all I__ am? An incubator?" she teased "Can I at least choose her name?"_

_Oliver smirked "Why, do you have any baby name ideas?" She blushed and he beamed "__You do!"_

_She rolled her eyes "What if I have?" she asked defensively._

_His smile grew wider "Tell me". _

"_No" she refused, hiding her face on his neck, suddenly feeling silly._

_Oliver chuckled at her coyness "Ohh come on,don't be shy. Tell me the name" _

_H__er head still resting on his shoulder__, she looked up at him "Meredith" she said with a smile._

"_Meredith" he repeated "It's a beautiful name. Why Meredith?__" He asked, beaming at the beautiful girl lying lazily by his side._

"_It means 'protector of the sea'" she stated simply, a small smile playing on her lips._

Again, Oliver was so lost in feelings and memories that he didn't acknowledge the tall, dark haired man running in their direction.

He didn't listen as the man yelled "Sweetheart, I found her!" and a blond woman rushed towards her daughter. He didn't register as the desperate mother hugged her three-year-old daughter, spinning in a circle.

"They do know how to scare us, don't they?" the man asked him, bringing him back to reality "My wife nearly had a heart-attack"

Oliver nodded "Yeah, they do" he said looking to his son who was watching the mother-daughter duo.

The woman had her back turned at them, and she still held the girl like if her life depended on it.

"She is alright, baby, calm down" the man advised his wife. Running a hand down the his wife's hair, he said "I'll tell security we found her. Take a deep breath, honey".

The woman finally put the girl down, and then lowered herself so they were at the same eye-level.

"Don't you ever scare me like that, okay? I was really worried about you" she said seriously, looking deeply into her daughter's eyes.

"I'm sorry mommy" the girl said "I just wanted to show him Nemo" the little redhead looked at the fish and then stared at Oliver's son.

The woman sighed and turned to face the boy in question "Well, next time, the two of you could ask a grown up to take you. Deal? ".

"Deal" the two kids said in unison.

"I'm so sorry she dragged your son into this" The woman addressed Oliver for the first time.

But Oliver didn't answer; he just numbly stared at the woman. Even before he had seen her beautiful face, he was already astonished only at the sound of her musical voice.

He knew that voice; the last time he had heard it was nearly eight years ago. And he had been longing to hear it again since then.

Analyzing her features, his heart skipped a beat. He could see the same the long eyelashes framing her glittering green eyes, deep and enticing; the freckles slightly concealing her face. Her hair was now waist length, falling down in waves. Oliver could swear he could see the red roots of her hair, even though they were lightened by the sun, making them blend in the golden strands. Her skin was tan, like someone who would spend hours in the sun.

It was her. She was…_alive?_

"Tess?" He breathed "Is that you?" he asked hopefully.

The woman took a step back, and disoriented picked the little girl up again "I'm sorry, I think you got me confused with someone else" she looked deeply into his eyes for a split second before she turned around to leave "I'm really sorry about this".

And they left, leaving Oliver lost in his thoughts and doubts.

Just as he watched her figure disappear through the long hallway, Chloe came from the other end of the corridor.

"Thank God you found him!" she said holding her little boy and covering him with kisses "Don't you ever do that again!"

"Sorry mommy" the boy said "My friend was just showing me Nemo" he pointed at the clown fish and smiled.

Chloe had to laugh at her son's innocence; he was still too young to be aware of the consequences of his action.

"Ollie, are you okay?" she turned to her husband.

"Yeah, I'm fine" he lied and forced a smile "Who was you little friend?" he asked his son.

The boy beamed "She's really nice. We both like Nemo, so she showed me the clown fish. And she's pretty!"

Chloe laughed again "And what's the pretty girl's name, may I ask?"

The boy's answer startled his father out of his trance.

"Meredith".

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><p><strong>AN:** First of all: I apologize for how poorly I wrote the Chlollie part of this story; I don't know why, but I can't write Chlollie, I wish I could, but I can't. Second: I choose to let Chloe and Oliver's son unnamed because I thought that if I gave him a random name, it would lose the magic. The boy in the series finale is so precious and I didn't want ruin it. Third: Yes, I know the name Meredith can have more than one meaning, I searched in different sites, and a few of them said "protector of the sea". It can also mean "lord" "great lord" or "lord of the sea". I chose the former because I thought it would suit my character better.

Reviews always make me sooo happy :)


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